Hard Things to Talk About at Cafe Paci

The Ethics Centre teams up with chef O Tama Carey to address difficult topics over dinner.

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O Tama Carey

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Published on 24 August 2015

by Jane de Graaff

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Some things are hard to talk about, but The Ethics Centre is hoping to change that. A new Hard Things To Talk About dinner series, designed and developed by communications agency Glider in conjunction with acclaimed chef O Tama Carey (previously of Berta), will combine talks, performance and written information with five courses of delicious food and wine.

Each evening will focus on a topic that is difficult or taboo, beginning with “bias” on August 30 and 31 at Cafe Paci. Other topics in the series will cover sex, death, fear, mistakes, taboos, our dark side, the future, hope, the end of the world and consciousness.

“The intent is to engage people in meaningful conversations about the things that matter and what we want to talk about but rarely do,” says curator, Lekki Maze of Glider. Bias – Against The Grain, will include discussions lead by an evolutionary biologist and an ethicist and philosopher, along with written information designed to spark conversation and a live performance from a secret (but highly acclaimed) performer, blurring boundaries and encouraging diners to question their biases.

“It’s an immersive experience that we’ve designed to facilitate discussion. The topic and story is told through the food – how it’s prepared and presented – and other inputs and provocations,” says Maze.

“People often assume something about an ingredient or dish,” says Carey. “We have assumptions about what something should be and that will override what we’re actually tasting. People will claim they don’t like eating liver, for example – but that bias could be from an idea, a bad experience, anything.”

"At its heart its a beautiful dinner with a range of flavours to explore. We’re going to be playful, not too serious,” says Carey, pointing out that you can expect dishes to “look and taste different to what you expect”.

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Dinner one: Bias – Against The Grain will take place on August 30 and 31 at Cafe Paci, Darlinghurst.